Comments on: E-Lending and the LendInk Brouhahahttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685
Sun, 02 Aug 2015 19:26:05 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.2By: Morahttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685&cpage=1#comment-74045
Wed, 05 Sep 2012 18:46:44 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685#comment-74045Having just read this for the first time today, what I don’t understand is why would authors even bother making their books electronic if they’re that worried about their books being pirated? I am seeing a resemblance to the music industry and they just don’t seem to get it either.

Most people are honest and want nothing more than to peruse a book or piece of music enough to determine if they’re worth the money to buy (including an entire series or ‘album’); you know, just like we would in a ‘brick and mortar’ store. My gosh, never mind the people who want to borrow the book from a library and not pay for reading it !

]]>By: Donna Lea Simpsonhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685&cpage=1#comment-72957
Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:31:14 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685#comment-72957I know there was a lot of confusion. I was misled by the heading I saw, which was a spammy advert for ‘prednisone online with no prescription’. It sent up red flags, and so I believed what others said. My bad, and my fault for not following my usual procedure, which is to find at least three reputable sources to support the assertion. Lesson re-learned.
]]>By: Anne AARhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685&cpage=1#comment-72745
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:30:33 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685#comment-72745Don’t feel bad, Donna. There was a lot of confusion about this site, some of it from publishers. Some authors asked their publishers about it, and their publishers got the wrong impression about the site and told them to send a report. Not just the one I saw listed on that blog — although of course they will be the ones remembered because they tweeted about it.

I think what happened might have gone like this. The security certificate issue worried people. When they reported their site, they might have also reported it to Norton, Web of Trust, and similar sites because of their worries. So later, when people went to look at the site, they got all sorts of “This site is unsafe” warnings. However, I’ve seen those warnings come up for everything from reputable science journals to an ad for the book “Naked, Drunk, and Writing.”

]]>By: Donna Lea Simpsonhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685&cpage=1#comment-72547
Wed, 15 Aug 2012 15:07:55 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685#comment-72547I was one of those who erroneously saw LendInk as a pirate site, and demanded he take my book off, thought I did not send a C&D or a DMCA or anything like that. I did something that I never do, and that is simply trust what someone else (another author) said and followed suit. I’m disappointed in myself, because I am rigorous about pointing out online scams and such. I have now shared Dale’s message on FB, with an apology for my negligence, and pledged to help him publicize the site when/if he gets it back up and going. I hope this leads to success for him.

I can’t believe I behaved like a sheep! An internet lemming! It reinforced my usual habit of vigilance and determination to always perform due diligence before spreading such a piece of information again.

For the record, I support lending of all books, and UBSs. I use my local library, I belong to a book trading site, etc. I’ve learned a lot about ebook lending sites from this kerfuffle because of you at AAR and DA.

]]>By: Anne AARhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685&cpage=1#comment-72526
Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:09:00 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685#comment-72526I expected authors were better at reading. And that they’d understand contracts and publishing.,Maybe I should know better after some of the previous flamewars I’ve seen.

In the conversation I mentioned above, an author who was not involved in the complaints simply responded to a post and said that just because Dale Porter was an Amazon Affiliate, he was not part of the publishing community. This resulted in someone believing he had said that only Random House and other big companies were publishers, and that self-published authors didn’t count. So I’m worried that people who had no part in the mess will be unfairly dragged in, just because (again) someone didn’t read correctly. Especially as I was involved in that thread, too.

Anne AAR: I wouldn’t want to see a boycott, either. Some of the authors have already realized their mistake and apologized, but that’s not enough for some people.
Another reason a boycott would be wrong is because the wrong authors will get caught up. Authors posting on the AbsoluteWrite thread about LendInk were criticized just for responding to a thread asking about the site, even if they understood it and did not smear it. On the LendInk FB page, someone was smearing one of the regular posters because he completely misunderstood what that author said. :\ Which is sadly ironic considering that the same people criticized those authors for not reading the FAQ.

Most of the authors seem to be defiantly self-righteous and don’t care that they ignorantly attacked a person that was guilty of nothing and certainly was not pirating their books.

I would not attack them, however I find it despicable that a few of the authors are still congratulating themselves on the fact that they were able to shut down a legitimate cite. The ignorant lynch mob mentality is not surprising on the web but I guess I expected better from people who refer to themselves as authors.

]]>By: Anne AARhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685&cpage=1#comment-72386
Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:33:35 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685#comment-72386I wouldn’t want to see a boycott, either. Some of the authors have already realized their mistake and apologized, but that’s not enough for some people.

Another reason a boycott would be wrong is because the wrong authors will get caught up. Authors posting on the AbsoluteWrite thread about LendInk were criticized just for responding to a thread asking about the site, even if they understood it and did not smear it. On the LendInk FB page, someone was smearing one of the regular posters because he completely misunderstood what that author said. :\ Which is sadly ironic considering that the same people criticized those authors for not reading the FAQ.

I find it frightening that it is so easy for misinformed people to use social media to do something like this. I would suggest a boycott of the authors responsible, but I can see that turning into exactly the same kind of train wreck.

]]>By: Leighhttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685&cpage=1#comment-72363
Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:56:20 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685#comment-72363Reviewing gives me a great many books to read. I still do use the library – in fact I checked out about eight books the last month but mainly these are new releases by major publishers that don’t allow e-book lending. Because of this never even think of e-book lending. I was excited when it was first announced but found so few books could be loaned. I am even a member of Amazon Prime and I can borrow a book there every month but I always forget about it too.
It does make me angry that these individuals took away Dale Porter’s site and maybe a portion of his income? I don’t know if he earned any money from it. To think of anyone being treated this way is disheartening but then to find out it is a disable vet that has been ill – even more so.
]]>By: farmwifetwohttp://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685&cpage=1#comment-72359
Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:40:35 +0000http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8685#comment-72359I’m neither a lender nor a borrower be…. except for the library and I learned long ago not to lend out my keepers b/c IF they finally come back, they never come back in decent condition.

BUT, I think these authors are “cutting their noses to spite their face”… I think that’s how that saying goes. How many books have you gotten used or borrowed and then gone back and purchased the rest???

For ex. Found Laurie R King’s The Moor at the library for a quarter. I own all of them up to the last few. JD Robb was introduced to me at the library. I own them all and once they came out in h/c I even buy them in h/c. The list goes on and takes in every book on my shelves. Someone lent me a book, someone introduced me to an author… for free. Then I went and bought that authors books for cash.

Letting people try your books for free or minimal cost is good business sense. Books are expensive and people have definate “tastes” that they enjoy in their reading. I won’t buy a “new to me” author…. ever. If I can’t take that author’s writing out for a “spin”, I don’t usually buy it.